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Brave!
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Kristi Cook
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Recently, as I was admiring the beautiful roses growing in our yard, my son Jameson said, "You know, Mom, roses would be so much better if they didn't have thorns." And just like most moms so often do, this became a little life-lesson moment. Immediately, this reminded me of a quote I kept taped to my bathroom mirror as a teenager - "You can complain because a rose bush has thorns or rejoice because a thorn bush has roses." (Author unknown)
I am currently leading my Bible study group using Angela Thomas's "Brave: Honest Questions Women Ask."  Our second week took us deep into suffering from the thorns of life. Using Paul's thorn as an example, this was a defining lesson to remember that our weaknesses bring us closer to our loving Lord. "My power is made perfect in weakness. Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong." (2 Corinthians 12:9-10) God's timing is impeccable, perfect, surreal, amazing! In all my years of leading a Bible study, I've never seen so many women relate to each other and be so vulnerable with the topics we are studying. Angela Thomas leads us through more sessions such as being worn out, being undisciplined, trembling inside, feeling invisible, and being broken. This particular study could take seven weeks (including introduction week) or thirteen weeks. The leader kit has DVDs that include teachings from Angela Thomas. My Bible study group discusses one week and watches the DVD the next week. My prayer is that we all become Brave women of God on this journey called life. But what makes that thought even sweeter, is that sisters in Christ can Brave it together! Be Brave and be blessed! Read More and post in our forums. Kristi W. Cook Wife of Dr. Jay Cook, pastor, First Baptist Church, Pascagoula, MS |
